SMC survives OT to stay unbeaten

Saturday

Feb 23, 2013 at 12:01 AMFeb 24, 2013 at 12:26 AM

By TODD SHANESYtodd.shanesy@shj.com

For the second time in four games, top-ranked and undefeated Spartanburg Methodist was taken to overtime by an opponent that had designs for knocking off the No. 1 junior college basketball team in the country.And, once again, the Pioneers survived.SMC, in for an epic battle against a rejuvenated squad it had destroyed by 38 points in early December, rallied from a six-point deficit during the final three minutes of regulation and beat Denmark Tech, 79-76, at Bridges Arena to improve to 29-0.“Not ideal,” SMC head coach Jeff Brookman said. “But we'll take it.”The Pioneers, who have already punched their ticket for a return trip to the NJCAA tournament next month in Hutchinson, Kan., can wrap up a perfect regular season Wednesday night at home against the Limestone junior varsity team. Unless the Division II Saints send down some of their best players from the varsity squad, it should be merely a formality. SMC's undefeated mark was seriously threatened Feb. 12 at USC Salkehatchie, but the Pioneers pulled out a 65-63 win in Walterboro only hours after they were officially named No. 1. Denmark Tech, despite the 94-56 loss to SMC on Dec. 2, played with the same confidence, and the Panthers owned a 37-33 lead at the midway point.“At halftime, Coach told us that we had 20 minutes to do something that this school has never done and will probably never do again,” said sophomore forward Ronell Crockett, a former T.L. Hanna standout who finished with a team-high 18 points. “We were excited. But at the same time, we were nervous.”Denmark Tech made back-to-back 3-pointers for a 68-62 lead with 2:45 remaining in regulation. The Panthers were starting to sense that a monumental upset was imminent. But then Crockett hit a couple of free throws. After a loose-ball scramble that looked like a rugby scrum, SMC got possession and Chapman High graduate Jalen Nesbitt (16 points) went strong to the basket for a three-point play. Ben Johnson (Boiling Springs) of SMC then buried a 3-pointer from his favorite spot, the corner, for a 70-68 lead with 1:15 to play.Denmark Tech missed at the other end and SMC drained most of the clock, thanks to a diving rebound on the offensive end and quick timeout by Cory Rush to prevent a tie-up, but the Pioneers missed two free throws with 15.9 seconds left to give the Panthers a chance.Although SMC played smothering defense, Brian Bell of Denmark Tech got into the lane and released a wild shot as he fell to the floor and the ball went through the hoop with 0.9 seconds left to force an overtime period.“They made tough, contested shots all game,” Brookman said. “That shot was no different. But it shouldn't have come to that.”In the overtime, SMC point guard Travis Black (Spartanburg Christian) slipped in for a layup. Bell answered with a 3-pointer at the other end to give Denmark Tech the lead. Then Nesbitt gave SMC the advantage on a layup from an in-bounds pass. He hit a long jumper, toes on the 3-point arc, for a 76-73 lead. DaQuan Jeffries (Broome) banked in an offensive rebound for a five-point difference.The Panthers, who went six straight overtime possessions without scoring, still had a chance at the end but missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.“They never went away,” Brookman said. “They came ready to play. We were their Super Bowl. They played hard and they competed. In the first half, they outplayed us and got every loose ball. In the second half, we settled down a little bit. We'd been in this situation before, luckily, and we grinded out a win.”Kelsey Terry (Westside) scored 12 points off the bench for SMC. Black, who finished with nine, is the team's best free-throw shooter but was just 1-for-8. In fact, the Pioneers won despite going 16-for-33 at the foul line. Of course, in that overtime win against USC Salkehatchie, they were 0-for-21 on 3-pointers.“When you win all of your games,” Crockett said, “you have to overcome some things.”